`BA 73-381` Kentucky bluegrass

ABSTRACT

A variety of Kentucky bluegrass having a medium to high level of resistance to leaf spot, melting out disease, rust diseases, and stripe smut; a desirable green color throughout the growing season; the ability to form a turf of good quality under a wide variety of environmental conditions; a moderately wide blade and a high level of seed yielding capacity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poa pratensis that has been designated Ba 73-381 Kentucky bluegrass.

2. Description of Related Art

Kentucky bluegrasses have been disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 3,156, issued May 9, 1972; 3,186, issued May 23, 1972; 4,336, issued Nov. 28, 1978; 6,280, issued Sep. 6, 1988; 6,537 and 6,538, issued Jan. 17, 1989; 6,585, issued Feb. 7, 1989, 7,831, issued Mar. 17, 1992; 8,490, issued Dec. 7, 1993 and pending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 08/125,564, filed Sep. 23, 1993.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Ba 73-381 Kentucky bluegrass plant material originated by crossing an unreleased Kentucky bluegrass selection (Bd65-26-1) from the O. M. Scott and Sons breeding program with a Merion Kentucky bluegrass plant as the pollen parent. As a result of this breeding, a distinct variety was produced and asexually propagated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules.

Seed of Ba 73-381 was produced first at Marysville, Ohio and later at Gervais, Oreg. This seed was used to plant turf performance evaluation trails and later seed production fields. Asexual production of Ba 73381 by propagules (tillers and rhizomes) and by disseminules (modified caryopses produced by apomixis) has consistently produced progeny plants indistinguishable from the mother plant. The apomixis level of Ba 73-381 is approximately 99% based upon examining seedling characteristics of approximately 100 to 150 seedlings from six different crop years in a growth chamber.

Ba 73-381 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including a medium to high level of resistance to Drechslera spp. formerly called Helminthosporium spp. that causes leaf spot, melting out and crown rot, Puccinia spp. that causes several tupes of rust infections, and Ustilago striiformis that causes strip smut. Ba 73-381 has an attractive leafy turf type growth habit, moderately wide leaf blades, attractive green color which can be maintained throughout the entire growing season, and good turf performance as evidenced by consistently good scores for quality and color. Ba 73-381 has a high seed yield potential in the bluegrass seed production region of northwestrn U.S.A.

In comparison with a number of other Kentucky bluegrasses, Ba 73-381 differs significantly in regard to the following morphological characteristics: (1) seed width, (2) floret number, (3) flag leaf ligule hair, (4) vegetative leaf margin hair, (5) peduncle width and (6) vegetative leaf ligule length.

Ba 73381 has a large seed, below average seed count and a long rachilla, a short and narrow panicle, a high whorl and branch count, average size spikelets, a low floret count and average size glumes. Ba 73-381 has a medium length culm, a low node count, an average internode length, a medium length but above averge peduncle width. The flag leaf is average in length and width but above average in thickness, has a long ligule and a statistically higher ligule hair content than most other bluegrasses in the evaluation. The vegetative leaf of Ba 73-381 is long, slightly below average in width but average in thickness, a short ligule and a low population of leaf margin hairs. The vegetative leaf under close mowing practiced under lawn maintenance conditions has a statistically broader leaf than a number of other Kentucky bluegrasses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. is a Ba 73-381 Kentucky bluegrass panicle;

FIG. 2 is Ba 73-381 Kentucky bluegrass seed; and

FIG. 3 is a ba 73-381 Kentucky bluegrass plant during anthesis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Ba 73-381 Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is a perennial with creeping rhizomes forming a dense turf. When plants overwinter in the filed under freezing temperatures and are then brought into the greenhouse during late winter to continue growth undisturbed by clipping under moderate temperatures (60°-80° F.), culms are erect averaging 39.5 mm in length, 3.1 nodes per culm, an uppermost internode length of 10.8 cm and a peduncle averaging 24.3 cm in length, and 0.808 mm in width. The vegetative leaf averages 22.1 cm in length, 3.3 mm in width, 0.300 mm in thickness, 0.16 mm in ligule length and a low leaf margin hair count. The flag leaf averages 4.3 cm in length, 3.5 mm in width, 0.223 mm in thickness, a ligule length of 1.3 mm and a high ligule hair count. The panicle averages 80.2 mm in length, 55.3 mm in width and 9.8 whorls. The lowest whorl averages 4.1 branches and the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle 3.9 branches (Table 3). The spikelets in the lowest whorl average 4.7 mm in length, 2.4 mm in width and 2.7 florets. The outer glume from the lowerst whorl averages 2.8 mm in length and the inner glume 3.2 mm in length. The spikelet from the third whorl averages 4.6 mm in length, 2.6 mm in width, and 2.7 florets.

The outer glume from the third whorl averages 2.9 mm in length and the inner glume 3.1 mm in length. Conditioned seed of Ba 73-381 averages 3.00 mm in length, 0.94 mm in width, a rachilla length of 0.86 mm and approximately 1,171,000 seeds per pound. The dorsal side of the lemma keel contained an average population of hairs.

Comparisons of Ba 73-381 with other varieties in terms of seed dimensions and seed numbers per pound are shown in Tables 1 and 2 as follows:

                  TABLE 1                                                          ______________________________________                                         Seed and Rachilla Measurements and Lemma Hair of                               Ba 73-381 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties                               After Conditioning                                                                       Length  Width      Rachilla                                                                              Lemma*                                     Variety   (mm)    (mm)       (mm)   Hair                                       ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381 3.00    0.94       0.86   4.9                                        Ba 73-366 3.04    0.91       0.80   4.4                                        Abbey     2.97    0.89       0.80   3.8                                        Adelphi   2.70    0.84       0.65   4.4                                        America   2.40    0.68       0.68   2.8                                        Baron     3.08    0.81       0.71   5.0                                        Bristol   2.94    0.88       0.73   4.3                                        Chateau   2.81    0.86       0.71   4.5                                        Coventry  2.71    0.81       0.70   4.0                                        Eclipse   2.77    0.83       0.68   3.5                                        Georgetown                                                                               2.94    0.82       0.74   4.9                                        Gnome     2.78    0.83       0.75   4.1                                        Kelly     3.07    0.89       0.75   4.2                                        Marquis   2.97    0.87       0.83   4.7                                        Midnight  2.94    0.76       0.78   5.7                                        Nassau    3.07    0.86       0.68   3.4                                        Ram I     3.23    0.89       0.80   6.0                                        Touchdown 2.93    0.88       0.71   4.6                                        Victa     3.00    0.80       0.82   3.5                                        LSD (.05) 0.16    0.05       0.13   0.86                                       ______________________________________                                          *Rating Scale 0-9: 9 = abundant row of hairs along keel.                 

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Seed Numbers Per Pound of Ba 73-381 and                          Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties After Conditioning                          Variety       Seeds per Pound                                                  ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381     1,171,000                                                        Ba 73-366     1,025,586                                                        Abbey         1,003,037                                                        Adelphi       1,383,976                                                        America       1,659,824                                                        Baron         1,051,693                                                        Bristol       1,270,821                                                        Chateau       1,300,105                                                        Coventry      1,246,200                                                        Eclipse       1,335,668                                                        Georgetown    1,431,000                                                        Gnome         1,017,641                                                        Kelly           921,166                                                        Marquis       1,054,642                                                        Midnight      1,227,000                                                        Nassua        1,127,130                                                        Ram 1         1,214,000                                                        Touchdown     1,211,000                                                        Victa         1,038,298                                                        ______________________________________                                    

Since environmental conditions such as soil and climate may influence morphological characters to some extent, comparisons of morphological characteristics of Ba 73-381 are made with other Kentucky bluegrass varieties are given in Tables 3-8.

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Panicles of Ba 73-381                              and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the                                  Greenhouse at Marysville, OH                                                                                Number of                                         Panicle             Number   Branches                                                  Nod-    Length  Width Whorls/                                                                               Lower Third                               Variety ding*   (mm)    (mm)  Panicle                                                                               Whorl Whorl                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381                                                                              1.1     80.2    55.3  9.8    4.1   3.9                                 Ba 73-366                                                                              1.6     88.8    68.4  8.8    4.3   3.7                                 Abbey   1.6     80.4    59.3  9.3    3.8   3.3                                 Adelphi 1.8     106.8   76.4  10.0   3.6   3.0                                 America 2.3     67.7    51.1  8.8    3.3   3.5                                 Baron   2.2     92.6    71.0  10.0   3.4   2.8                                 Bristol 2.0     85.5    61.5  8.4    2.8   2.7                                 Chateau 2.9     65.2    57.3  8.5    3.3   2.8                                 Coventry                                                                               2.5     64.0    54.2  8.4    3.3   2.5                                 Eclipse 1.3     89.2    74.0  10.7   3.3   2.1                                 George- 1.0     80.0    57.0  7.4    2.1   2.6                                 town                                                                           Gnome   1.1     80.6    56.0  10.6   4.6   3.9                                 Kelly   2.0     88.0    70.2  9.8    4.6   3.7                                 Marquis 1.1     82.0    63.0  10.3   3.9   3.6                                 Midnight                                                                               2.0     75.8    48.4  7.1    2.9   3.0                                 Nassau  2.2     91.2    68.6  10.0   2.5   2.1                                 Ram I   1.3     67.7    47.0  7.3    3.0   3.2                                 Touchdown                                                                              1.1     73.1    75.0  7.6    2.1   2.3                                 Victa   1.7     74.9    58.3  10.0   4.7   3.5                                 LSD (.05)                                                                              0.68    7.35    8.62  0.66   0.72  0.50                                ______________________________________                                          *Panicle Nodding Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = most nodding                     

                  TABLE 4                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Spikelets of Ba 73-381 and                         Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at                        Marysville, Ohio                                                                                        Number of                                                    Spikelet          Florets                                                      Lower Whorl                                                                              Third Whorl Per Spikelet                                               Length  Width   Length                                                                               Width Lower Third                               Variety  (mm)    (mm)    (mm)  (mm)  Whorl Whorl                               ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381                                                                               4.7     2.4     4.6   2.6   2.7   2.7                                 Ba 73-366                                                                               4.6     2.5     4.7   2.6   2.6   2.8                                 Abbey    4.4     2.2     4.5   2.2   3.0   3.0                                 Adelphi  4.6     2.2     4.8   2.2   4.4   4.4                                 America  4.6     2.2     4.4   2.3   4.5   4.3                                 Baron    5.4     2.8     5.4   3.1   4.0   4.2                                 Bristol  4.9     2.4     5.0   2.5   4.2   4.5                                 Chateau  4.4     2.4     4.4   2.4   3.4   3.5                                 Coventry 4.4     2.2     4.5   2.4   3.2   3.5                                 Eclipse  4.6     2.4     4.6   2.4   3.6   3.6                                 Georgetown                                                                              5.0     2.3     5.0   2.6   4.8   4.9                                 Gnome    4.6     2.5     4.6   2.9   3.2   3.2                                 Kelly    5.1     2.5     5.2   2.8   3.7   3.8                                 Marquis  4.3     2.2     4.4   2.3   3.1   2.9                                 Midnight 5.3     2.5     5.5   2.4   4.4   4.7                                 Nassau   4.7     2.6     4.8   3.0   4.2   4.3                                 Ram I    5.4     2.6     5.3   2.8   3.6   3.4                                 Touchdown                                                                               5.1     2.9     4.8   2.8   4.1   4.0                                 Victa    4.5     2.5     4.5   2.4   3.3   3.2                                 LSD (.05)                                                                               0.41    0.35    0.38  0.35  0.58  0.53                                ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 5                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Glumes of Ba 73-381 and Other                      Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at                              Marysville, Ohio                                                               ______________________________________                                                  Glume Length (mm)                                                              Outer            Inner                                                           Lowest  Third      Lowest                                                                               Third                                      Variety    Whorl   Whorl      Whorl Whorl                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381  2.8     2.9        3.2   3.1                                        Ba 73-366  2.8     2.8        3.2   3.1                                        Abbey      2.7     2.7        3.1   3.1                                        Adelphi    2.7     2.6        3.0   3.1                                        America    2.1     2.1        2.5   2.5                                        Baron      3.1     3.2        3.6   3.7                                        Bristol    2.8     3.0        3.3   3.4                                        Chateau    2.8     2.9        3.1   3.2                                        Coventry   2.7     2.8        3.1   3.1                                        Eclipse    3.0     3.0        3.4   3.4                                        Georgetown 2.8     2.8        3.1   3.1                                        Gnome      2.8     2.9        3.3   3.3                                        Kelly      3.0     3.1        3.4   3.5                                        Marquis    2.8     2.7        3.1   3.1                                        Midnight   2.6     2.6        3.0   3.1                                        Nassau     2.6     2.7        2.9   3.0                                        Ram I      2.9     3.0        3.6   3.5                                        Touchdown  3.3     3.3        3.8   3.8                                        Victa      2.8     2.7        3.1   3.1                                        LSD (.05)  0.23    0.22       0.22  0.23                                       ______________________________________                                                        Glume Hairs                                                                      Lowest  Whorl   Third Whorl                                           Variety  Outer   Inner   Outer Inner                                   ______________________________________                                                 Ba 73-381                                                                               1.7     2.3     2.1   2.3                                             Ba 73-366                                                                               1.7     1.3     1.3   2.0                                             Abbey    0.6     0.9     1.0   1.0                                             Adelphi  0.6     2.7     1.1   1.9                                             America  0.2     0.5     0.3   0.3                                             Baron    4.8     4.4     4.2   4.6                                             Bristol  1.0     2.2     0.8   2.2                                             Chateau  1.5     2.6     2.0   1.8                                             Coventry 1.5     2.7     1.6   2.4                                             Eclipse  1.5     1.9     1.8   1.9                                             Georgetown                                                                              1.7     2.7     1.2   2.5                                             Gnome    1.0     1.9     1.2   1.6                                             Kelly    1.3     1.5     1.1   0.8                                             Marquis  0.9     1.1     1.7   1.8                                             Midnight 1.8     2.8     1.0   2.4                                             Nassau   2.1     2.6     4.2   4.4                                             Ram I    1.1     2.3     0.7   1.2                                             Touchdown                                                                               0.7     2.1     1.1   1.4                                             Victa    0.8     1.1     1.1   1.3                                             LSD (.05)                                                                               0.9     0.9     0.9   0.9                                     ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 6                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Flag Leaves                                        of Ba 73-381 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass                                      Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, Ohio                                ______________________________________                                         Sheath.sup.4                                                                            Length   Width   Thickness                                                                              Leaf                                         Variety  (cm)     (mm)    (mm)    Angle.sup.1                                                                           Curve.sup.2                           ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381                                                                               4.3      3.5     0.223   1.9    5.0                                   Ba 73-366                                                                               4.5      3.6     0.180   5.1    4.4                                   Abbey    3.8      3.4     0.145   2.7    4.1                                   Adelphi  5.7      3.4     0.178   5.2    5.0                                   America  4.3      2.6     0.211   4.6    5.0                                   Baron    7.0      4.2     0.152   9.2    4.4                                   Bristol  4.3      3.2     0.211   2.3    5.0                                   Chateau  4.0      2.7     0.193   3.4    2.0                                   Coventry 3.7      3.0     0.140   0.7    4.3                                   Eclipse  3.9      3.2     0.193   8.7    5.0                                   Georgetown                                                                              5.7      2.8     0.221   1.9    5.0                                   Gnome    4.5      3.5     0.185   4.3    5.0                                   Kelly    4.8      4.1     0.178   3.1    4.4                                   Marquis  5.5      3.6     0.241   2.7    4.6                                   Midnight 3.8      2.6     0.189   1.1    5.0                                   Nassau   6.0      3.7     0.191   5.9    4.7                                   Ram I    3.4      3.1     0.191   1.0    4.8                                   Touchdown                                                                               4.1      2.7     0.163   3.4    4.1                                   Victa    3.9      3.7     0.267   2.1    4.6                                   LSD (.05)                                                                               1.0      0.4     0.02    2.5    0.4                                   ______________________________________                                                                 Hairs.sup.3                                                   Sheath.sup.4                                                                            Ligule  on Leaf                                                       Variety  (mm)    Margin   Ligule                                                                               Color                                   ______________________________________                                                Ba 73-381                                                                               1.3     0.4      3.6   1.5                                            Ba 73-366                                                                               1.5     0.4      2.2   0.5                                            Abbey    1.3     0.8      1.6   0.2                                            Adelphi  1.1     1.8      1.6   0.4                                            America  0.6     0.4      0.7   1.9                                            Baron    1.2     1.0      3.8   2.6                                            Bristol  0.6     0.4      1.9   2.0                                            Chateau  0.9     1.1      3.1   0.3                                            Coventry 0.9     0.8      1.7   2.0                                            Eclipse  1.1     1.0      1.0   0.2                                            Georgetown                                                                              0.6     0.6      2.0   2.0                                            Gnome    0.8     0.9      3.2   1.5                                            Kelly    1.5     1.1      2.5   2.2                                            Marquis  0.8     0.5      3.8   1.5                                            Midnight 0.4     0.4      0.3   2.0                                            Nassau   1.1     2.6      2.4   0.8                                            Ram I    0.7     0.5      1.3   2.0                                            Touchdown                                                                               1.1     1.0      1.0   7.7                                            Victa    1.3     1.0      0.8   0.5                                            LSD (.05)                                                                               0.17    0.47     0.7   0.76                                    ______________________________________                                          .sup.1 Degrees from the stem                                                   .sup.2 Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 9 = curves down         .sup.3 Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 =  many                                  .sup.4 Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = no color; 9 = dark purple                  

                  TABLE 7                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Peduncles, Culms, Node Numbers                     Per Culm and Internode Length of Ba 73-381 and Other                           Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at                              Marysville, OH                                                                          Peduncle Peduncle Culm  Nodes Top                                     Variety  Length   Width    Length                                                                               Per   Internode                               (cm)     (cm)     (mm)     (cm)  Culm  Length                                  ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381                                                                               24.3     0.808    39.5  3.1   10.8                                    Ba 73-366                                                                               26.4     0.704    42.7  4.1   9.2                                     Abbey    23.2     0.655    41.3  4.1   11.0                                    Adelphi  24.5     0.665    40.0  4.0   10.4                                    America  16.2     0.622    31.8  3.1   11.0                                    Baron    34.0     0.701    52.8  4.2   12.8                                    Bristol  22.9     0.734    43.5  4.0   12.6                                    Chateau  20.7     0.607    38.9  4.4   9.9                                     Coventry 19.6     0.487    34.7  4.5   7.9                                     Eclipse  23.7     0.658    39.2  4.9   9.9                                     Georgetown                                                                              21.7     0.683    37.5  3.2   11.1                                    Gnome    19.4     0.836    35.3  3.1   9.2                                     Kelly    29.4     0.752    46.6  3.6   11.8                                    Marquis  27.1     0.831    34.1  3.4   7.8                                     Midnight 20.5     0.722    29.5  2.8   7.6                                     Nassau   25.0     0.663    36.0  3.9   7.4                                     Ram I    22.2     0.694    30.5  2.5   6.6                                     Touchdown                                                                               23.6     0.519    38.0  4.0   8.4                                     Victa    21.2     0.808    37.9  3.7   10.3                                    LSD (.05)                                                                               3.2      0.08     3.3   0.4   1.9                                     ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 8                                                          ______________________________________                                         Morphological Comparison of Vegetative                                         Leaves of Ba 73-381 and Other Kentucky                                         Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH                        ______________________________________                                                  Length   Width   Thickness                                                                              Leaf                                         Variety  (cm)     (mm)    (mm)    Angle.sup.1                                                                           Curve.sup.2                           ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381                                                                               22.1     3.3     0.300   62.5   8.2                                   Ba 73-366                                                                               22.9     3.8     0.401   53.0   7.1                                   Abbey    20.7     3.6     0.277   51.3   7.4                                   Adelphi  19.4     3.7     0.279   67.0   4.6                                   America  21.4     3.1     0.325   66.0   6.4                                   Baron    18.2     4.3     0.290   35.0   4.4                                   Bristol  18.2     3.7     0.320   65.5   6.9                                   Chateau  23.1     3.3     0.328   39.7   5.4                                   Coventry 23.4     3.6     0.249   63.0   7.3                                   Eclipse  20.3     4.4     0.302   65.5   5.4                                   Georgetown                                                                              19.5     3.6     0.287   56.7   5.8                                   Gnome    18.2     2.9     0.290   43.2   6.6                                   Kelly    22.8     3.9     0.300   55.5   7.0                                   Marquis  19.7     3.7     0.376   46.8   7.8                                   Midnight 19.5     3.5     0.310   63.3   5.0                                   Nassau   16.3     3.7     0.292   63.2   4.9                                   Ram I    19.1     3.6     0.271   70.8   6.5                                   Touchdown                                                                               16.7     3.7     0.243   51.3   4.0                                   Victa    21.5     3.6     0.360   56.3   6.7                                   LSD (.05)                                                                               3.5      0.43    0.04    15.9   1.5                                   ______________________________________                                                      Hairs.sup.3                                                                Ligule           Leaf  Leaf     Sheath                                Variety  (mm)     Ligule  Margin                                                                               Roughness.sup.4                                                                         Color.sup.5                           ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381                                                                               0.16     3.2     0.7   8.2      2.0                                   Ba 73-366                                                                               0.23     5.2     4.2   8.5      0.0                                   Abbey    0.32     4.4     2.8   7.7      0.0                                   Adelphi  0.34     2.6     3.4   8.8      0.0                                   America  0.12     1.7     2.1   8.4      2.0                                   Baron    0.33     4.6     3.6   7.4      0.4                                   Bristol  0.12     2.6     3.0   8.9      2.0                                   Chateau  0.22     3.3     3.1   7.8      0.5                                   Coventry 0.32     3.1     2.4   8.1      0.3                                   Eclipse  0.38     2.8     2.6   9.0      0.2                                   Georgetown                                                                              0.14     2.5     2.4   8.5      2.0                                   Gnome    0.23     1.6     0.8   7.5      1.4                                   Kelly    0.34     4.6     2.4   8.8      0.0                                   Marquis  0.21     3.6     1.1   6.8      1.1                                   Midnight 0.10     1.3     1.6   7.7      2.0                                   Nassau   0.34     2.5     3.3   8.5      1.4                                   Ram I    0.09     1.8     2.0   7.7      2.0                                   Touchdown                                                                               0.29     1.4     1.3   7.9      8.0                                   Victa    0.26     2.3     1.7   7.9      0.1                                   LSD (.05)                                                                               0.04     0.79    0.70  0.89     0.57                                  ______________________________________                                          .sup.1 Degrees from stem                                                       .sup.2 Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = curve up; 5 = no curve; 9 = curve down           .sup.3 Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many                                   .sup.4 Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = rough; 9 = smooth                                .sup.5 Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = no color; 9 = dark purple                  

Ba 73-381 has performed well throughout the U.S.A. as exhibited by medium to high turf quality ratings in a number of locations across the U.S.A. in comparison to other Kentucky bluegrass varieties. In addition, it has a pleasant medium green color which can be maintained throughout the growing season, a substantial level of living ground cover and a medium wide leaf.

Comparisons of Ba 73-381 with other Kentucky bluegrass varieties for quality are set forth hereinafter in Tables 9-12:

                  TABLE 9                                                          ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Turfgrass Quality of Ba 73-381 and                               Other Kentucky bluegrass Varieties at Various                                  Locations in the U.S.A.                                                                 Locations.sup.1                                                       Variety    A       B     C     D   E     F   G                                 ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381  8.0     6.9   5.4   6.5 5.3   6.8 5.1                               Ba 73-366  7.7     7.2   5.3   6.5 5.0   6.6 4.9                               Abbey      7.0     6.9   5.5   5.4 4.9   6.8 5.0                               Able I     7.7     7.5   5.9   7.0 5.7   6.5 5.0                               A-34       8.7     6.8   4.6   7.0 5.4   6.2 4.9                               Banff      8.7     6.6   6.1   6.8 4.6   6.7 5.1                               Baron      7.7     7.2   5.7   7.0 5.7   7.0 5.7                               Classic    8.3     6.9   6.2   6.8 4.3   6.7 4.8                               Coventry   8.7     6.3   5.9   6.7 5.8   7.0 4.7                               Eclipse    8.3     6.7   6.5   6.2 5.1   7.3 5.0                               Estate     8.7     7.0   5.5   7.0 6.0   6.4 5.0                               Georgetown 8.0     6.6   6.6   6.5 4.9   6.9 4.4                               Glade      9.0     7.4   7.5   7.0 5.6   7.6 4.3                               Gnome      8.0     6.8   5.0   7.0 5.0   7.0 3.9                               Haga       8.0     6.7   6.3   7.0 5.1   6.8 4.5                               Kelly      7.7     7.2   5.8   6.5 5.0   6.8 5.0                               Kenblue    7.7     6.4   3.3   7.0 3.8   6.2 3.9                               Marquis    8.0     6.8   5.3   6.7 5.5   6.5 4.9                               Merion     6.7     5.1   2.7   5.2 4.2   4.8 3.2                               Merit      8.0     6.9   4.9   6.5 4.1   6.6 5.0                               Midnight   8.0     7.1   8.3   6.7 4.7   7.7 4.9                               Monopoly   7.7     6.5   5.0   7.3 4.8   6.1 5.1                               Nassau     8.0     6.9   6.4   6.0 5.5   6.3 4.8                               Ram I      8.0     7.8   6.0   7.3 5.2   7.0 5.3                               South Dakota                                                                              7.0     6.6   3.0   6.2 2.1   4.9 3.0                               Touchdown  9.0     7.2   4.2   6.7 3.3   6.5 4.7                               LSD (.05)  1.2     0.8   0.9   1.1 1.1   0.5 0.9                               ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale 1-9; 9 = ideal turf                                               .sup.1 Locations:                                                              A. Fort Collins, CO;                                                           B. Ames, IA;                                                                   C. Adelphia, N.J.;                                                             D. Marysville, OH;                                                             E. Hubbard, OR;                                                                F. Beltsville, MD;                                                             G. Blacksburg, Va.                                                       

                  TABLE 10                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Quality of Ba 73-381 and other Kentucky                        Bluegrass Varieties at Prince Fredrick, Maryland Determined at                 Various Time Periods A-E                                                       Quality.sup.1                                                                                       Mean of               Mean of                             Variety A      B     A and B C   D     E   C-E                                 ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381                                                                              2.2    2.4   2.3     2.9 2.6   3.1 2.8                                 Adelphi 2.0    1.9   1.9     2.7 2.6   3.1 2.8                                 Bristol 1.9    1.8   1.9     2.6 2.6   3.0 2.8                                 Glade   1.9    1.7   1.8     2.5 1.4   2.5 2.1                                 Kelly   2.0    1.9   1.9     2.8 2.5   3.0 2.8                                 Merion  2.0    2.1   2.0     2.1 1.6   2.5 2.1                                 Merit   2.7    1.9   2.0     1.6 1.4   2.1 1.7                                 Nugget  1.8    1.8   1.8     1.0 1.0   1.0 1.0                                 Park    2.1    2.2   2.2     1.5 1.4   2.3 1.7                                 Vantage 2.1    2.2   2.2     2.8 2.7   3.0 2.8                                 Victa   1.7    1.8   1.8     2.9 2.8   3.1 2.9                                 Mean    1.9    1.9   1.9     2.5 2.3   2.8 2.5                                 LSD (.05)                                                                              1.3    1.3   0.72    1.0 0.62                                          ______________________________________                                          .sup.1 Rating Scale: 1-5; 5 = best                                       

                  TABLE 11                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Quality of Ba 73-381 and Other                                 Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Marysville, OH                                 Determined at Times A and B                                                    Quality                                                                        Variety            A     B                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381          6.0   7.3                                                   Ba 73-366          7.0   7.3                                                   Abbey              6.3   7.0                                                   Amazon             5.3   5.3                                                   Baron              6.0   6.3                                                   Bristol            5.0   6.0                                                   Coventry           6.0   6.7                                                   Cynthia            5.7   6.7                                                   Gnome              6.0   6.7                                                   Haga               6.7   7.0                                                   Kenblue            6.3   6.3                                                   Merion             5.0   6.3                                                   Merit              6.3   6.7                                                   Midnight           6.0   6.0                                                   Monopoly           6.7   7.7                                                   Park               6.3   6.0                                                   Ram I              6.3   7.7                                                   South Dakota       4.7   6.0                                                   Victa              6.0   7.3                                                   Mean               5.9   6.5                                                   LSD (.05)          1.0   1.0                                                   ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = ideal turf                                        

                  TABLE 12                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Quality of Ba 73-381 and Other Kentucky                        Bluegrass Varieties Grown Under Shade Conditions at                            Marysville, OH at Various Time Periods A-F                                     Quality                                                                        Variety    A     B        C    D      E    F                                   ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381  2.5   2.0      2.4  2.1    2.4  2.6                                 Ba 73-366  2.1   2.0      2.2  2.1    2.2  2.5                                 Adelphi    2.1   2.0      2.2  2.1    2.2  2.3                                 Bristol    2.0   2.1      2.2  2.2    1.9  2.3                                 Merion     2.2   1.9      2.2  2.0    2.3  2.5                                 Newport    2.0   2.0      2.0  1.8    2.1  2.1                                 Nugget     1.8   1.8      1.9  1.9    2.0  2.1                                 Park       1.7   1.8      1.9  1.9    2.0  2.1                                 Vantage    1.7   1.9      2.1  2.1    2.1  2.3                                 Victa      2.2   2.0      2.3  2.1    2.1  2.5                                 Mean       1.9   2.0      2.0  2.0    2.0  2.2                                 LSD (.05)  0.3   0.13     0.14 0.19   0.19 0.2                                 ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-5; 5 = best                                              

With regard to a comparative analysis conducted for purposes of determining color of Ba 73-381 plants relative to other Kentucky bluegrass varieties, readings were taken of the the vegetative color of Ba 73-381 during mid-May while the turf was actively growing with adequate nutrient and water availability. The readings were taken in full sun with several actively growing leaves being compared, one at a time, utilizing color chips from the Munsell Book of Color as a reference. On this basis, the color of Ba 73-381 was determined to be 5 GY 4/4. During the same time period, the color of similar leaves of other Kentucky bluegrass varieties were determined by the same procedure to be as follows: Ba 73-366 -5 GY 4/4; Ba 73-540 - 5 GY 4/4; Abbey - 5 GY 3/4; and Coventry - 5 GY 4/4. However, it should be noted that the general apparent color of turf does not always correlate directly with the color of the individual actively growing leaves within the turf and that turf color varies with nutrient level and time of year with some varieties being darker or lighter green depending on such factors.

Further comparisons of Ba 73-381 with other Kentucky bluegrass varieties for genetic color are set forth hereinafter in Table 13:

                  TABLE 13                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Genetic Color of Ba 73-381 and Other                           Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Various Locations in the                       U.S.A.                                                                                 Locations.sup.1                                                        Variety   A     B      C   D    E    E   F    Mean                             ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381 5.0   6.7    5.0 5.4  7.7  6.7 5.7  6.0                              Ba 73-366 4.7   5.7    4.3 4.3  7.0  7.0 5.7  5.5                              Abbey     4.0   6.2    5.3 4.3  7.0  6.0 6.7  5.6                              Able I    4.7   7.3    8.0 6.0  7.3  7.0 6.0  6.6                              A-34      4.0   5.0    3.7 4.3  7.0  6.0 5.3  5.0                              Banff     5.7   4.7    4.0 5.0  6.7  6.0 4.0  5.1                              Baron     4.0   6.0    6.0 5.0  7.3  7.3 6.3  6.0                              Classic   5.3   5.2    4.3 5.0  6.7  5.7 4.3  5.2                              Coventry  5.3   5.8    5.7 4.3  7.0  6.7 6.3  5.9                              Eclipse   5.0   7.0    6.3 5.3  7.3  6.3 7.0  6.3                              Estate    4.7   6.2    5.7 5.3  6.7  6.7 5.7  5.8                              Georgetown                                                                               4.0   5.0    4.7 5.0  7.0  6.0 5.0  5.2                              Glade     5.3   7.3    7.0 6.0  7.0  7.0 7.3  6.7                              Gnome     5.3   5.5    5.7 4.7  7.3  7.0 6.7  6.0                              Haga      4.3   5.0    4.0 5.0  7.0  6.0 4.3  5.1                              Kelly     4.7   6.2    4.7 4.0  7.0  6.3 6.3  5.6                              Kenblue   3.7   4.3    3.7 3.7  7.0  6.0 4.0  4.6                              Marquis   5.0   6.5    5.3 5.0  7.3  7.0 6.7  6.1                              Merion    4.3   6.7    6.3 4.3  7.0  5.3 6.0  5.7                              Merit     5.0   6.3    4.7 4.3  7.0  7.0 5.3  5.7                              Midnight  6.0   7.7    8.3 6.3  8.0  7.7 6.0  7.1                              Monopoly  4.7   4.2    4.0 4.0  6.0  6.7 4.0  4.8                              Nassau    5.7   6.7    5.7 5.0  8.0  6.7 4.7  6.0                              Ram I     6.0   7.0    7.0 6.0  7.3  7.0 6.7  6.7                              South Dakota                                                                             4.0   5.2    3.0 3.0  7.0  5.3 4.0  4.5                              Touchdown 4.7   6.3    4.3 4.7  7.3  6.3 5.0  5.5                              LSD (.05) 1.3   1.3    0.9 0.7  0.7  0.7 1.4  0.5                              ______________________________________                                          Ratings Scale: 1-9; 9 = dark green                                             .sup.1 Locations:                                                              A. Fort Collins, CO;                                                           B. Post Falls, ID;                                                             C. North Brunswick, NJ;                                                        D. Marysville, OH;                                                             E. Pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, OR;                           F. Haymarket, VA                                                         

Ba 73-381 developes good density and a high degree of living ground cover. It has a moderately wide blade as identified by leaf texture data. Also, Ba 73-381 has good seedling vigor. Data for these performance characteristics are presented in Tables 14-17 as follows:

                  TABLE 14                                                         ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Density of Ba 73-381 and Other Kentucky                          Bluegrass Varieties at Marysville, OH                                          Variety        Density                                                         ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381      6.6                                                             Ba 73-366      6.3                                                             Abbey          6.0                                                             Aspen          5.7                                                             A-34           6.0                                                             Banff          6.3                                                             Baron          6.3                                                             Bristol        5.3                                                             Classic        6.7                                                             Coventry       6.7                                                             Eclipse        6.3                                                             Estate         7.3                                                             Georgetown     6.3                                                             Glade          6.7                                                             Gnome          6.3                                                             Haga           6.3                                                             Kelly          6.0                                                             Kenblue        6.0                                                             Marquis        6.3                                                             Merion         4.7                                                             Merit          6.7                                                             Midnight       6.3                                                             Monopoly       6.7                                                             Nassau         5.7                                                             Ram I          7.0                                                             Touchdown      6.0                                                             Victa          6.7                                                             Mean           6.1                                                             LSD (.05)      1.2                                                             ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = most dense cover                                  

                  TABLE 15                                                         ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Percent Living Ground Cover in the Fall of Ba                    73-381, and other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Haymarket,                   VA                                                                                           % Living                                                         Variety       Ground Cover                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381     50.0                                                             Ba 73-366     21.7                                                             Abbey         31.7                                                             Able I        36.7                                                             A-34          46.7                                                             Banff         46.7                                                             Baron         30.0                                                             Classic       40.0                                                             Coventry      43.3                                                             Eclipse       33.3                                                             Estate        38.3                                                             Georgetown    55.0                                                             Glade         43.3                                                             Gnome         38.3                                                             Haga          58.3                                                             Kelly         43.3                                                             Kenblue       11.7                                                             marquis       35.0                                                             Merion        40.0                                                             Merit         28.3                                                             Midnight      11.7                                                             Monopoly      43.3                                                             Nassau        43.3                                                             Ram I         28.3                                                             South Dakota  30.0                                                             Touchdown     26.7                                                             LSD (.05)     27.4                                                             ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 16                                                         ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Leaf Texture of Ba 73-381 and Other                              Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Martinsville, NJ                               Variety        Leaf Texture                                                    ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381      4.0                                                             Ba 73-366      4.3                                                             Abbey          5.0                                                             Able I         5.7                                                             A-34           4.3                                                             Banff          5.3                                                             Baron          5.0                                                             Classic        5.3                                                             Coventry       5.0                                                             Eclipse        5.7                                                             Estate         4.3                                                             Georgetown     6.0                                                             Glade          5.0                                                             Gnome          5.3                                                             Haga           5.7                                                             Kelly          4.3                                                             Kenblue        6.0                                                             Marquis        4.3                                                             Merion         4.0                                                             Merit          4.7                                                             Midnight       6.7                                                             Monopoly       5.0                                                             Nassau         5.0                                                             Ram I          5.0                                                             South Dakota   3.7                                                             Touchdown      5.3                                                             LSD (.05)      0.9                                                             ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = very fine                                         

                  TABLE 17                                                         ______________________________________                                         A Comparison of Seedling Vigor of Ba 73-381 and Other                          Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Various Locations.sup.1 in the                 U.S.A. and Canada                                                                            Seedling Vigor                                                   Variety       Mean                                                             ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381     6.3                                                              Ba 73-366     6.3                                                              Abbey         6.4                                                              Able I        6.3                                                              A-34          6.0                                                              Banff         7.7                                                              Baron         6.7                                                              Classic       7.1                                                              Coventry      6.1                                                              Eclipse       6.1                                                              Estate        6.1                                                              Georgetown    7.0                                                              Glade         6.7                                                              Gnome         6.3                                                              Haga          7.1                                                              Kelly         6.6                                                              Kenblue       7.4                                                              Marquis       6.3                                                              Merion        2.6                                                              Merit         6.4                                                              Midnight      5.4                                                              Monopoly      7.1                                                              Nassau        6.4                                                              Ram I         6.5                                                              South Dakota  6.7                                                              Touchdown     5.8                                                              LSD (.05)     0.7                                                              ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Maximum vigor                                           .sup.2 Locations: Fort Collins, CO; Post Falls, ID; North Brunswick, NJ;       Adelphia, NJ; Richmond Hill, Ontario; pooled data Halsey, Hubbard and          Gervais, OR.                                                             

Turf diseases are one of the major causes of inconsistent and poor turf performance among locations and years. Ba 73-381 has been found to have a medium to high level of resistance to leaf spot, melting out and crown rot caused by Drechslera poae (formerly called Helminthosporium vagans); a medium to high level of resistance to several rust diseases caused by Puccinia spp., and to stripe smut caused by Utilago striiformis.

Comparisons of disease incidence of Ba 73-381 as compared with other bluegrass varieties in regard to leaf spot, rusts, dollarspot, and stripe smut are set forth in Tables 18-23. Additional comparisons are presented in Table 24-26 identifying high speed yields relative to other bluegrasses.

                  TABLE 18                                                         ______________________________________                                         Ccomparison of Leaf Spot Incidence in Ba 73-381 and Other                      Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties Grown Under Shade Conditions at                   Marysville, OH                                                                 Variety        % Leaf Spot                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381      0.0                                                             Ba 73-366      0.0                                                             Adelphi        5.0                                                             America        40.0                                                            Banff          2.5                                                             Bristol        0.0                                                             Classic        5.0                                                             Eclipse        2.5                                                             Georgetown     7.5                                                             Glade          7.5                                                             Kenblue        10.0                                                            Merion         0.0                                                             Merit          0.0                                                             Nassau         0.0                                                             Newport        0.0                                                             Park           50.0                                                            Ram I          40.0                                                            Sydsport       27.5                                                            Vantage        2.5                                                             Victa          2.5                                                             Mean           9.8                                                             LSD (.05)      26.7                                                            ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 19                                                         ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Leaf Spot Incidence in Ba 73-381 and Other                       Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Marysville, OH                                 Variety        Leaf Spot                                                       ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381      7.3                                                             Ba 73-366      6.7                                                             Adelphi        6.3                                                             Banff          6.5                                                             Baron          7.0                                                             Bonnieblue     7.0                                                             Bristol        7.3                                                             Classic        6.0                                                             Eclipse        7.0                                                             Georgetown     6.3                                                             Glade          5.3                                                             Kelly          7.0                                                             Kenblue        7.0                                                             Merion         6.7                                                             Merit          7.0                                                             Nassau         7.0                                                             Newport        6.7                                                             Park           6.3                                                             Ram I          6.0                                                             Vantage        6.7                                                             Victa          7.0                                                             Mean           6.8                                                             LSD (.05)      1.1                                                             ______________________________________                                          Ratings Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease.                                      

                  TABLE 20                                                         ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Powdery Mildew Incidence in Ba 73-381 and                        Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties Grown Under Shade                           Conditions at Marysville, OH During Time Periods A and B                                      % Powdery Mildew                                                Variety          A      B                                                      ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381        75.0   55.0                                                   Ba 73-366        80.0   27.5                                                   Adelphi          35.0   37.5                                                   Bristol          30.0   17.5                                                   Glade            35.0   45.0                                                   Merion           75.0   67.5                                                   Monopoly          7.5   15.0                                                   Nassau           27.5   45.0                                                   Park             50.0   35.0                                                   Ram I            50.0   42.5                                                   Vantage          37.5   10.0                                                   Victa            87.5   50.0                                                   Mean             48.0   35.6                                                   LSD (.05)        43.0   22.0                                                   ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 21                                                         ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Stem Rust and Leaf Rust Incidence in Ba 73-381                   and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Kingston, R.I.                       Variety        Stem Rust Leaf Rust                                             ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381      7.3       6.3                                                   Ba 73-366      6.7       5.7                                                   Abbey          7.0       6.3                                                   Able I         3.3       7.0                                                   A-34           4.3       6.0                                                   Banff          7.7       7.0                                                   Baron          7.0       8.3                                                   Classic        8.0       8.7                                                   Coventry       6.7       7.0                                                   Eclipse        4.0       5.7                                                   Estate         6.3       6.3                                                   Georgetown     8.7       7.7                                                   Glade          7.7       7.0                                                   Gnome          7.0       6.7                                                   Haga           8.0       7.0                                                   Kelly          8.0       5.0                                                   Kenblue        5.7       6.7                                                   Marquis        6.7       6.3                                                   Merion         1.0       2.3                                                   Merit          6.3       6.0                                                   Midnight       8.0       6.0                                                   Monopoly       6.3       5.3                                                   Nassau         8.0       7.0                                                   Ram I          8.0       6.7                                                   South Dakota   4.3       6.7                                                   Touchdown      2.3       3.7                                                   LSD (.05)      1.4       2.4                                                   ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease                                        

                  TABLE 22                                                         ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Stripe Rust Incidence in Ba 73-381 and Other                     Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties developed from pooled data at                     Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, OR                                                Variety        Strive Rust                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381      4.7                                                             Ba 73-366      5.0                                                             Abbey          4.3                                                             Able I         6.0                                                             A-34           5.0                                                             Banff          6.0                                                             Baron          6.0                                                             Classic        6.3                                                             Coventry       5.0                                                             Eclipse        6.0                                                             Estate         5.7                                                             Georgetown     6.3                                                             Glade          3.0                                                             Gnome          4.7                                                             Haga           6.3                                                             Kelly          5.0                                                             Kenblue        3.3                                                             Marquis        5.3                                                             Merion         3.7                                                             Merit          5.0                                                             Midnight       4.7                                                             Monopoly       5.3                                                             Nassau         5.3                                                             Ram I          6.0                                                             South Dakota   4.0                                                             Touchdown      3.0                                                             LSD (.05)      1.2                                                             ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease                                        

                  TABLE 23                                                         ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Stripe Smut Incidence in Ba 73-381 and Other                     Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Marysville, OH                                 Variety        Strive Smut                                                     ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381      7.0                                                             Ba 73-366      6.3                                                             Adelphi        7.7                                                             America        6.7                                                             Banff          8.0                                                             Baron          8.0                                                             Bonnieblue     8.0                                                             Bristol        7.7                                                             Classic        8.0                                                             Eclipse        7.3                                                             Georgetown     7.7                                                             Glade          7.7                                                             Kelly          6.3                                                             Kenblue        7.0                                                             Merion         7.7                                                             Merit          5.7                                                             Nassau         7.7                                                             Newport        7.3                                                             Park           6.7                                                             Ram I          7.3                                                             Vantage        7.3                                                             Victa          5.0                                                             Mean           7.0                                                             LSD (.05)      1.2                                                             ______________________________________                                          Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = least disease                                     

                  TABLE 24                                                         ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Seed Yields of Ba 73-381 and Other Kentucky                      Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, Oregon During Consecutive                      Growing Years A-D                                                                         Lbs/Acre                                                            Variety      A      B          C    D                                          ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381    626    1196       740  1261                                       Bristol      347     808       627   684                                       Julia        296    1016       --   --                                         Kelly        672    1136       760  1265                                       Mosa         322    1060       --   --                                         Newport      435    1256       --   --                                         Victa        780    1394       855  1287                                       LSD (.05)    140     134       105  --                                         ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 25                                                         ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Seed Yields in Pounds Per Acre for Ba 73-381                     and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties Over a 3 year Period                    at Gervais, Oregon                                                                      Lbs/Acre                                                              Variety    Year 1       Year 2  Year 3                                         ______________________________________                                         Ba 73-381  970          1306    558                                            Ba 73-366  920          1258    521                                            Abbey      1124         1314    629                                            Apart      1244          851    812                                            Coventry   786           914    649                                            Newport    1165         1002    1177                                           LSD (.05)  209           176    158                                            ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE 26                                                         ______________________________________                                         Comparison of Seed Yields in Pounds Per Acre for Ba 73-381                     and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at La Grande, Oregon                           Variety Lbs/Acre                                                        ______________________________________                                                Ba 73-381                                                                              1,551                                                                  Ba 73-366                                                                              1,612                                                                  Abbey   1,549                                                                  Coventry                                                                               1,046                                                                  LSD (.05)                                                                                160                                                           ______________________________________                                     

What is claimed is:
 1. A variety of Kentucky bluegrass, substantially as shown and described, characterized by a medium to high level of resistance to several serious diseases, including leaf spot and melting out disease, several rust diseases, and stripe smut, a desirable green color throughout the growing season, forms a turf of good quality under a wide variety of environmental conditions, has a moderately wide blade and a high level of seed yielding capacity. 